Music lovers at Morristown, NJ’s MPAC are ready this Wednesday, December 4, 2024 evening for A Joyful Holiday performance starring jazz phenom Samara Joy along with members of the McLendon Family.
Joy, 25, is a five-time Grammy nominee and three-time Grammy winner, including a 2023 nod for Best New Artist. Born in The Bronx, Samara’s grandfather, Elder Goldwire McLendon, performed with the Philadelphia gospel group, The Savettes, and her dad, Antonio McLendon, sang and played bass for gospel artist Andraé Crouch.
While still in college, Samara recorded Samara Joy, her eponymous debut album. Based on the success of a series of viral TikTok videos, Joy toured the US and Europe playing sold-out shows at venues and festivals including Newport Jazz, Monterey Jazz, London’s Barbican Center, and France’s Nice Jazz Festival.
Joy’s second album, Linger Awhile, was released on Verve Records and won the 2023 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album. In 2024, she won a Grammy for Best Jazz Performance for her single, “Tight.” Her latest effort is her 2024 recording, Portrait.
Pianist Shedrick Mitchell, bassist Eric Wheeler, and drummer Charles Haynes take the stage and concertgoers cheer as Samara Joy enters singing Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time is Here.” As she croons, “Christmas time is here/Happiness and cheer,” her rich, velvety tone wafts out over the audience on this classic tune from A Charlie Brown Christmas.
The crowd applauds and Joy says, “New Jersey, how are you feeling?” before introducing the members of her family — her father, Antonio McLendon; her cousin Lovey; her cousin Tommy; her friend Stephanie Fisher; and her uncle Rony — who all take the stage along with the members of The New York City Inspirational Choir to perform a gospel rendition of the Christmas classic, “O Holy Night.”
“Are we ready to have a good time tonight?” asks Joy, and the crowd cheers as she and her stagemates launch into the upbeat R&B tune, “Everybody Knows,” which features her father, Antonio, playing electric bass.
After announcing, “Here’s an arrangement of my dad’s,” Joy adds vocal runs to a jazzy chordal version of “Silent Night” and Samara’s family members take turns singing lead on an R&B rendition of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” which features Antonio simultaneously scat singing and playing electric bass.
Joy talks about her musical journey prior to revealing that tonight she’ll be doing several songs from her latest recording, Portrait. On a breezy Latin-inspired version of Nat King Cole’s “You Stepped Out of a Dream,” Joy’s voice floats out as she sings, “You/Stepped out of a dream/You are too wonderful/To be what you seem,” and Shedrick Mitchell plays a lyrical piano solo.
Joy reminisces about her teacher, Barry Harris, and dedicates her next number, “Now and Then (In Remembrance Of…),” to him and other mentors she’s had. Opening with Mitchell’s cascading piano introduction, Joy effortlessly adds vocal twists and turns using her considerable vocal range on this lovely jazz ballad.
Joy introduces tonight’s special guest — her 94-year-old grandfather, Elder Goldwire McLendon — who makes his way onto the stage along with the rest of the McLendon family to perform “It Is Well with My Soul.” As his adoring brood looks on, Elder sings with style and grace on this compelling gospel number which inspires a standing ovation.
Joy talks about how her family is Elder’s true legacy, explaining that “love for music trickled down to me and my family,” prior to introducing her Portrait medley, “Peace of Mind/Dreams Come True.” Opening with a Charles Haynes drumroll, Joy channels the spirit of Sarah Vaughn with her deep, rich vocal on a rubato rendering of “Peace of Mind” before dramatically shifting into a swinging interpretation of the jazzy “Dreams Come True.”
Following a short intermission, Joy and the trio return to perform Portrait’s “Reincarnation of a Lovebird,” where after singing the opening line, “Only a dream to me you were/And then you slowly slipped away,” Samara’s mic slips out of her hand and she decides to skip the song and move on to the more upbeat “No More Blues.” On this dynamic Latin-inspired number, Joy sings in Portuguese and English before vocalizing into the stratosphere with her Mariah Carey-like range.
The crowd hoots and hollers and Joy follows up with “Left Alone,” her tribute to Billie Holiday. Samara’s flawless vocal shines on the a cappella introduction before the trio joins in on this lush and haunting ballad which inspires a standing ovation.
Moving on to another track from Portrait, “Day by Day,” Samara changes the opening “Day by day/I’m falling more in love with you” lyric to “Day by day/I’m falling more in love with Morristown.”
Mitchell plays a chordal piano solo and Eric Wheeler walks on his bass to Haynes’ crisp drumming on this swinging jazz classic.
Joy invites her family back to the stage to perform her dad’s R&B-infused arrangement of “Mary, Did You Know” where Antonio sings lead and Joy takes over vocalizing with ease in the highest part of her range.
Joy and Co. follow up with Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song” where Samara and Antonio harmonize on the well-known “Although it’s been said many times, many ways/Merry Christmas to you” coda after trading off lead vocals on this touching ballad.
The family performs “We Are the Reason,” an original song which Joy and the McLendons wrote “in three sessions over Zoom.” Heads in the crowd bop to the rhythm of this thoroughly appealing Latin-jazz/gospel tune.
After announcing, “Morristown, we hope you had a good time!” Joy invites the choir back onto the stage and invites the audience to sing along on a funky gospel version of “Joy to the World.”
Antonio slaps out a funky bass line on this rhythmic arrangement where Samara asks all of the women in the crowd to stand and sing “Go Tell it on the Mountain” and all the men rise to sing “Joy to the World.”
Music lovers cheer and Joy exclaims, “Morristown, we love you! Thank you so much,” as she blows kisses and exits the stage. Returning, she and the ensemble perform an encore of the hymn-like jazz waltz, “Benediction,” where rich harmonies caress the audience and trigger yet another standing ovation from the crowd.
Before the night is over, several concertgoers comment on tonight’s performance by Samara Joy. Declares Linda from Sparta, “Samara Joy was amazing — her voice is just fantastic!” Confessing, “Honestly, jazz is not usually my kind of music, but I really enjoyed this show,” Linda explains, “I especially loved hearing the whole family sing together — I’d never really heard live gospel music before and it was incredible!”
Acknowledges Sara from Westfield, “This was my first time seeing Samara. My husband has been a huge fan for as long as she’s been singing, and she just blew me out of the water — she was so amazing! Her range is crazy, and all the vocal ornamentation she did was stunning.”
Remarks Drew from Denver, Colorado, “I loved this show! I started listening to Samara about a year and a half ago and this was my third time seeing her. She’s a great performer and a great vocalist, but this was the first time I’d seen her perform with her family, which made for a really wonderful show!”
Samantha from New Providence agrees, adding, “It was my first Samara Joy concert and she definitely exceeded my expectations. She was so good, and I especially enjoyed the holiday aspect of the performance.”
Recalls Bruce from Parsippany, “When I was in my early 20s, I was blessed to see legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, and Carmen McRae perform live. Samara has been compared to all of these artists and she didn’t fail to deliver. Her vocal ability is stunning and her talent is undeniable.”
Exclaims Diane from Oakland, “Samara Joy was wonderful tonight — her voice is just exceptional! My daughter had a chance to see her in D.C. and raved so much about her that I decided to see her myself and I’m glad I did. She’s such an incredible talent, it’s hard to believe she’s only 25 — she’s really special.”
Lastly, Drew from Springfield insists, “I loved Samara Joy’s show tonight! It was very Christmas-y, and it reminded me of something I might see on the Hallmark Channel. Samara’s voice is absolutely amazing, and to think she’s only 25 years old is incredible,” prior to concluding, “For me, her entire show was absolutely perfect!”
To learn more about Samara Joy, please go to samarajoy.com. For information on great upcoming performances at MPAC — including The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis on January 19 and The Blind Boys of Alabama on January 31 — please click on mayoarts.com.
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